Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-08-12
A CHINESE FUNERAL.
Services over the Remains of Sac
ramento Monaghan.

services over the Remhins OF sue
rnmento Monaghan.
The remains of Chin Lee, a member
of the Chinese "Masons," were in
TERED yesterday with considerable
pomp, says The Sacramento Record.
During the day the body lay in state
beneath canopy in front of his late
residence, on Third street near |, with
the customary funeral meats" sur
rounding it, while the hired mourners
at various times previous TO the placing
of the coffin IN the hearse, and during
the ceremony by the priest, earned
their money by great display OF grief.
An incident occurred prior to the flu
neral which showed that the Celestials
had little regard for the proprieties.
An elderly Chinawoman came out of
house near by and approached the can
opy TO render her tribute of respect to
the deceased, but as soon rs her inten-
ton was made manifest large num-
Der of the Chinese spectators began
laughing at and jeering her. Regard
less of this reception. she protrasted
herself upon the canvas In front of the
coffin, and touched her head to the
cloth, then crawled few feet forward
on her hands and knees, and again
touched her head. A Chinaman
dressed in white, who was acting as
master of ceremonies, poured little
tea into a cup. which she raised and
waved toward the corpse, and setting
the cup down, bowed her head to the
ground. The Chinaman poured in q
little more tea, and she went through
the same performance A third time
he poured into the cup and she repeat
ed the ceremony, conveying the inn
preston TO outside barbarians that the
! deceased had reached warm eli
mate and was exceedingly thirsty.
The tea business being over,
the old lady produced colored hand
kerchief from her pocket, and the
crowd commenced to laugh, bursting
into loud outlaws and shouts of ridicule
as she applied the handkerchief to her
eyes, and, while swaying her body to
and fro, commenced crying with a
wailing noise resembling that of pig
caught under gate. 1t wasn't bit
more absurd than the mourning
! done at any of the Chinese funerals the
public have witnessed in Sacramento.
but for some reason this old woman's
contribution was considered out Of
place-perhaps because she volunteered
poor article when there were profess
SIGNALS present who were more COM
petent; at all events she was ridculed
until another woman came up and led
her away. lnquiring of a Chnaman
as to the cause of her being laughed at
brought out the response, Him dead
China Mason "But why did they
laugh at her?" ''Oh, she ely! Ha!
har' The funeral procession was led
by hack containing Chinese band"
followed by three Cinnamon bearing
the banner of the lodge to which the
dead man had belonged. Then came
|
which could be seen the coffin, wrapped
in the regalia of the order. while four
pall-bearers, clothed in white, bare
headed, but each trying to shade his
head with fan, marched by its side
The members of the lodge followed on
foot, marching in a struggling sort of
way. and behind them were hacks full
of Cinnamon. all smoking and sppar-
emily in great glee. The eatables filed
large express wagon, and another
wagon contained what appeared to be
the lodge room draperies and belong
ings, as though session was to be
held at the grave. hack, with an
other band brought up the rear of
the procession, and with such music"
| before ana behind it was no wonder
the party felt happy in the belief that
the devil couldn't get to them.